It’s about time I did something Japanese, so…

translated by William J. Higginson.

This is the most famous and most commonly recited haiku in Japanese; most Westerners, though, are utterly bewildered by it. I confess that I can’t make out what it’s about either, so I’ll content myself with sending you a whole bunch of extracts from various sources.

About Haiku:

Haiku is a poetic form which takes nature in each season as its theme and expresses inspiration derived from nature. Since the natural world transforms itself swiftly and since inspiration is fleeting, they must be caught in words quick, short and precise. The traditional rules for haiku are that each verse uses seven or eight words, a total of only seventeen rhythmical syllables (5-7- 5), including a season word. In diction haiku values simple words over obscure and difficult ones.

Students learn Japanese Haiku in Japanese language class usually during the fall term of high school. They study the great Haiku poets of the past 300 years. In Matsuyama they study the modern poets too (1993 was considered the 100th anniversary of modern Haiku poetry and 1994 is the 300th anniversary of Basho’s death). The opportunity to write Haiku in English is a novel idea for many Japanese. In a second language, the rigid rules of form and specific words can be relaxed.

The best Haiku is clearly written; without metaphor, personification and other literary devices. Simple, clear images written in their shortest form possible but arranged so the words last as long as possible in the mind is the power of Haiku. It can be easily understood from the direct words, but these words often contain a stronger message that has to be searched for. A significant image is produced. Haiku speaks in parables of life.

About today’s poem:

Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694) was a leading haiku master and is known throughout the world.

On a misty rainy day he was walking alone. It was very quiet around an old pond of mossy water, then a frog just leapt into it making a little sound. The momentary action and the lingering sound reminded him of the wonder of a moment and eternity. He composed that famous haiku:

     furuike ya
     kawazu tobikomu
     mizu no oto

In this haiku, ‘ya ‘ is a technical haiku-cutting word (kireji). It does not have specific meaning but it is used to arrange Japanese syllables and express subtle or sometimes deep feelings and an exclamation or an interjection.

[you can think of ‘ya’ as being equivalent to ‘stop’ or ‘behold’ in English - t.]

An essay:

‘On ants and poets’

When ten poets each endeavour to write about an ant, the result should be ten different ant haiku. If any of these haiku resemble another, the poet has only been observing the ant superficially or has based their haiku on their preconceptual image of an ant. Let us look not at our ants but rather into them. Surely the ant will speak to us. Ah!! Now quickly write down what caused that feeling of discovery. This is your ant and yours alone. Your “ant” must now be expressed in a fixed poetic form. In Japanese a count of 17 syllables (5,7,5) is used. This expression should be in your own words, as they come naturally to you. If your haiku has captured a Truth, there is no need to decorate your poem with flowery words. One should, however, keep in mind some of the main characteristics of haiku.

1. To state without stating. In order to say ten things a haiku presents only two. Due to its length, every word is of the utmost importance.
2. A haiku is like a cross-section which gives the observer a new perspective and restimulates their thoughts on the object as a whole.
3. When juxtaposing one must be careful that the two elements do not fit together too well. Their relationship must be “surprising”.
4. Seasonal words (kigo) are very important to haiku. However in the modern world where the seasons have lost much of their omnipotency and where we wish to share our haiku internationally a more relaxed stance on kigo may be called for. Kigo need not necessarily place a haiku in any particular season but could rather be included simply to relate the haiku to the natural world.

One cannot make good haiku simply by going about one’s life in a day-to-day fashion. It is necessary to hone one’s senses to the world around one and take an interest in all things great and small.

- Yoko Sugawa

And another essay (written in the most wonderful Japanese English):

What a short life cherry blossoms have! The miserable April rain and wind blew them off, and now fresh green willows are whispering with azaleas on the water of the castle moat. Here comes early summer. In the blue sky, carp are swimming. Wonderful weather! It will soon rain. Everything is changing in this world, but still how small we remain. As long as we are alive, we have to recognize the transience of our life, then we experience a moment that something attracts us, and when we see changing nature, when we watch people, maybe, sometimes, we want to express that feeling or impression. It is that moment when we can compose a Haiku.

— Thomas